Very Old "double Burner Pancake" Type Cast Iron

[RArmentrout]

I bought an old cast iron pan at an auction several years ago, very rusty (my wife didn't know it was even cast iron). Spent a week or so with elbow grease, got it cleaned up and seasoned and have used it since. It is a double burner type, about 1 inch deep, about 8 inches wide. The entire bottom is "bumpy", and it looks like they just didn't worry about it when cast. There are no markings whatsoever. 2 small handles, centered, flat on bottom, slightly rounded on top. There may be 2 oval gate markings on the bottom, but they are so faint it's hard to know if they are really there or not. I don't have a working camera, so I can't post pics. Any idea on how to tell how old? the actually cast iron is similar to some I have from the late 1800s in thickness, but I've never seen one that wasn't worked more on the bottom side. I'm wondering if it was a sand mold? all ideas welcome!

[Doug D.]

I'm having a hard time picturing what you're describing. Is it a rectangular griddle or round-ended long pan? Such pieces were usually left "as-cast", or minimally smoothed via tumbling. Polish grinding was confined primarily to round pieces which could be rotated on a mechanism while having a spinning grindstone head applied across the surface. All CI is created using sand molds.

[RArmentrout]

Thanks Doug. It is a round ended long pan. When looking at some of the pictures from the Smithsonian, I think it could have had a copper handle that hooked into the holders located on each rounded end. Your explanation of the bottom makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

[SIZE=1]---------- Post added at 02:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:34 PM ----------[/SIZE]

I also found some that looked similar that I think were called fish fryer/griddle. this one has no heat ring, and the handles are single loops, not ornate.

[GTurner]

Pictures would help.

[CJ Lucas]

Sounds a lot like a sad iron heater that I acquired a year or so ago.

Here's a link to when I posted a picture asking what it was:

http://www.castironcollector.com/for...7468#post27468